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Carter picked up one of the pastries. “You’re brilliant. Especially with dessert!” he looked at Barb. “Mila’s Sweets hasn’t been open long, but she already has a loyal following.”

James looked at the plate with disapproval. “I can’t believe you’re making all this. How much of it are you eating? At least you weren’t allowed to eat the product at the North End Bakery.”

Mila winced. She might’ve put on a few pounds since she started living with Gio and Carter. Maybe she should start taking longer walks with Babette. Self-consciously, Mila hurried back into the kitchen to hide behind the island.

“What are you implying?” Gio asked. There was a distinct bite in his tone that James completely missed.

“Mila needs to lose weight. She’s always been heavy, but I can see being here and opening a pastry business isn’t helping,” James answered, keeping his eyes on Mila.

She refused to meet his gaze.

“You will not say anything like that again,” Gio said. “If I hear a single disparaging word about Mila from either of you, I’ll toss you out in the street.”

Mila looked up, but Gio hadn’t moved or changed expression. The room suddenly felt cold, despite all the heat she’d created by using the stovetop and oven all afternoon.

“Then we’ll call the police on you,” Barb half shouted.

Carter sounded a derisive snort. “And we’ll tell them you two are trespassing.” He looked at Gio. “Please, can we toss them out now?”

Gio shook his head. “We need to let Mila try to talk to them. However, if there’s another insulting comment, they know the consequences."

“I never insult my daughter,” James snarled. “The truth isn’t—”

Before he could finish, there was frantic knocking at the front door. They all looked to the front of the house.

“This can’t be good,” Carter grumbled, getting up.

Mila was torn. Did she follow Carter to the door or stay in the kitchen and make sure her parents didn’t piss off Gio?

She thought she’d left these situations in South Dakota, but they’d followed her!

“Hello, I’m sorry to bother you, but is Mila here?” a familiar voice asked.

“Anthony?” Mila cried out, rushing out to see a bunch of familiar faces gathered at the front door. “Bec? Vivi? Dustin? Em? What are all of you doing here?”

“We’re here to keep you from listening to Mom and Dad,” Dustin said.

“Did we beat them here?” Anthony asked.

“I was supposed to keep an eye on them, but they snuck out when I was at class," Em wailed, like the drama major she was. “You have to promise not to come home or I’ll feel guilty forever!”

“I thought there was something going on!” Barb said from behind Mila. “You were all sabotaging us!”

“Everyone, come on in,” Carter said with a broad smile as he stepped aside. “Anyone who wants Mila to stay with us is welcome!"

Vivi’s mouth dropped as they all stepped inside, and she got a good look at Carter. “Oh shit, you’re fucking built!”

“Vivi!” Barb screeched. “That’s grossly inappropriate."

“Hey, Dad’s always saying to tell the truth,” Vivi smirked at Barb, then gave Mila an approving glance. “Good job!”

They all shuffled in, smiling at Carter and ignoring Barb. Soon everyone was in the kitchen and Mila introduced everyone.

“Gio, Carter, these are my siblings, Anthony, Vivi, Dustin, and Em is the youngest and just started college. This is Bec, my best friend since grade school. Everyone, these are the loves of my life, Gio and Carter.”

“Oh, snap,” Bec said. “I wouldn't be able to pick only one either.”

“It’s just like the romance novels,” Vivi said with a little sigh.

“I mean, I guess it works for them,” Dustin said with a shrug. “But I’d rather do it the other way around, you know? Two girls and me.”

Em smacked the back of his head. “Don’t be gross!”

“All of you are acting inappropriately,” James barked. “You can’t approve of this arrangement. Not with Mila.”

Suspecting a fight was about to break out, Mila got busy in the kitchen. Sure enough, Dustin and Dad went after each other.

“Why can’t you let Mila live her life?” Dustin asked. “Why do you have to bully her all the time?”

“We don’t bully her,” Barb argued. “We’re only trying to protect her.”

Anthony rolled his eyes and swallowed the bite of pastry he’d taken. “Protect her from what? Out of all of us, she’s the only one who didn’t get to go to college. She didn’t get to move out. She didn’t get to do anything.”

“We never said she couldn’t,” James said.

“But you didn’t encourage her either,” Dustin pointed out. “Do you think we didn't notice that she was the one who took care of us when we were sick? She’s the one who helped with our homework. She was at our school events. You guys didn’t even show up for Em’s high school graduation.”

“She said it didn’t matter,” Barb said, looking a little less sure. “Em said she didn’t care.”

“I lied,” Em said softly. “But it was way more important that Mila was there.”

“You know, for people who like to have kids, you don’t seem to want to take care of them,” Bec said. Everyone, including Mila, gasped. Bec casually picked up a cookie and started nibbling on it, as if she hadn’t just pulled the pin on an insult grenade and launched it at Barb and James.

“Rebecca Stanhope!” Barb shouted. “How dare you say such a thing!”

James stood up, probably trying to use his six-foot height to intimidate the five-foot-two-inch Bec. Mila could’ve told him that was pointless, no one intimidated Bec. She’d gone into law because she liked fighting, not backing down.

“If you were my daughter, I’d—” James’s threat was cut off when he started coughing and collapsed back down into his chair.

Mila rushed to get him water, but Em grabbed her and pulled her aside. “No, Mila! Let Mom get him some water and make sure he takes his meds, or the hundreds of other things neither of them want to bother with.”

“I’m not doing anything but getting some water,” Mila protested.

James’s cough died down, and he glared at Em. “Why are you turning against us? We pay for your college!”

Em turned to him, putting herself between Mila and James. “Don’t worry, you don’t need to pay for it anymore. I’m dropping out and moving to LA. I’m going to become an actress, and I don’t need college for that. Mila showed me that you have to follow your dream, so that’s what I’m going to do!”

If Mila thought Bec’s insult had been a grenade, then Em’s statement was a block of C-4!

Her parents and the siblings all exploded into words, desperate to talk Em out of her plan. Mila backed away, unsure what to say or who to support. Suddenly, Gio and Carter were on either side of her.

As the family argument raged, the three of them didn’t stop moving away until they were behind the kitchen island. They watched the drama play out from as far away as they could get while still being in the same room.

“So this is what it’s like to have a family these days,” Gio mused. “I see a lot of similarities to growing up in the 1880s.”

Carter snorted. “I don’t think that’s a good thing.”

Guilt swamped Mila. “I’m so sorry. I never thought this would happen. Mom and Dad never go anywhere except to veterinary or livestock conventions. And my other siblings all have busy lives. I don’t know how they found the time to come here!”

Gio wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “They love you. We find the time for people we love.”

Gio’s words made something occur to her.

Did that mean her parents didn’t really love them?

No, she wasn’t going to think like that.

Love came in a lot of different forms. Her parents were here to protect her, that had to count for something.

Even if they were doing it out of a misguided impression that she’d lost her mind.

“We don’t have the room for them to stay here,” Carter said,

“I’ll book them rooms,” Gio said.

“And a car service,” Carter added. “I didn’t see any new vehicles in the driveway, so I don’t think anyone rented a car.”

Gio nodded, gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, then left the room to make arrangements.

Carter stayed by her side, wrapping both arms around her as the fight raged on.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “We’ll figure everything out.”